1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to means for damping vibrations. More particularly, this invention relates to apparatus for lessening the effect of resonant vibrations upon a tuned gyroscope.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Dry tuned gyroscopes (i.e., those not mounted in a fluid or air suspension but by means of a flexible hinge or spring) are subject to error and damage resulting from characteristically large transmissibilities (both radial and axial) at structural resonance. Numerous attempts have been made to solve this sometimes-critical problem. Prominent among these efforts have been platform-isolation systems, necked down shafts and shaft elastomer damping. Systems employing platform-isolation are quite expensive and require additional instrumentation and space. Necked-down shafts and shaft elastomer damping have been found to decrease the system time constant without providing an effective solution to the problem at hand.
Thus, at the present time, there does not exist sufficiently simple and effective apparatus for moderating the resonant vibrations of a dry tuned gyroscope.